Cotton-picker



5 Sheets--Sheet 1. D. RAWL. COTTON PICKER.

(No Model.)

Patented 1390.29', 1896.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

D. RAWL.

GOTTON PICKER. y N0. 574,218. Patented 13650.29, 1896.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

' D. RAWL'. COTTON PICKER` No. 574,218. Patented Deo. 29, 1896.

mi cams #arene co. Puorouwo., wnsumoon, u. c.

(No Model.) Y 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

D. RAWL.

` COTTON PIGKBR.

y No. 574,218. Patented-Deo. 29,1896.

von. b c.

(No Model.) .5 sheets-sheet 5,

D. RAWL.'

y COTTON PICKER. Y A I N0. 574,218; l Patented Dec. 29 1896.

v the same.

UNITED STAT-nsl PATENT OFFICE.

DAVIDRAIVL, OF BATESBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA.

COTTON-PICKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,218, dated December29, 1896.

Application filed January 3l, 1896. Serial No. 577,596. (No model.)

To all whom it' may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID RAWL, of Bates? burg, in the county ofLexington and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Cotton-Pickers; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichform part of this specification.

My invent-ion relates t0 improvements in cotton-pickers, and it pertainsto that class of pickers having a series of revolving spindles which arethrust into the cotton for gathering it and then withdrawn therefrom,the cotton to be then removed from the spindles and conveyed to asuitable receptacle or receptacles.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of acotton-picker embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig.3 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is an interior view of themovable box carrying the gears for rotating and thrusting thegathering-spindles. Fig. 5 is a detailed plan structural view taken onthe dotted line 5 5, Fig. 3, and showing particu larly the devices forthrusting the spindles 1 in and withdrawing them from the cottonplants.Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of one of the swinging arms carryinga yoke which effects the thrust of the spindles, looking at the samefrom the inner side. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detailed sectional viewt-aken transversely through the upper end of the spindles andcleaning-gear boxes. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detached perspective View ofthe gathering-spindles shown in connection with one of thecleaning-gears. Fig. 9 is a de tached perspective view of the framewhich carries the picking mechanism, the boxes carrying said mechanismbeing shown in position thereon. Fig. l0 is a detached perspective Viewof one of the cotton retaining or cleaning plates. Fig. 11 is a detachedview of the outer end of the pitman which actuates the thrustingmechanism of the spindles.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the rectangular frame, the mainand supporting frame of the vehicle portion of the picker. This frame issupported upon the wheels C through the medium of an upwardly-bent axle27,by means of which small supporting-wheels may be used and yet affordample room for the picking mechanism beneath it. Extending upward in aline over the axle 27 are the standards A'. These standards A arecarried bythe main frame and disconnected from the picker-carrying frameQ, so tha-t the Apicker-frame may be adjusted to adapt it for rows ofcotton-plan ts of different heights without affecting the saidstandards.

B' is the driving-shaft of the machine, situated upon the main frame Ain rear of thel supporting-axle. In rear of thisdriving-shaft B' is ashaft 1t, extending parallel therewith, both of said shafts extendingtransverse the main frame. The driving-shaft- B' is provided with ahandle G', by which it may be rotated, and with a band or sprocket wheelF' or with a crank adapted to be connected with any desired motor, suchas gas orsteam or electric, placed in a suitable position upon theframe. I prefer to drive the entirey machine by an engine of somecharacter, but which forms no part of my present invention and need nottherefore be either shown or described in this connection, it beingunderstood that any compact form of motor could be adapted for use inconnection with my machine.

The shaft u is driven from the shaft B through the medium of asprocket-chain D',

passing around a sprocket-wheel E' upon the shaft B' and around a largesprocket-wheel C' upon the shaft a.

Situated at the upper end of the standards A' is a shaft I, extendingtransverse the machine, and this shaft is driven from the driving-shaftB'through the medium ofasprocketchain 3, passing around thesprocket-wheel 2 upon the shaft I and around the sprocketwheel 4 of theshaft B', as clearly shown. This shaft I drives the gathering-spindlesand the cleaninggears, as will appear farther on. The picker-frame Q' issuspended upon the supportingbars R', which have their upper endsprovided with a series of openings and bolted to the main frame A, andthrough the medium of these series of openings the picker-frame iscapable of vertical adjustment, as will readily he understood, to adaptthe gathering-spindles supported by the pickerframe to plants of varyingheights. Extend- -boxes and provided with notches forming shoulders (l,which, as will be described farther on, cause the cotton to be removed`from the gathering-spindles c.v These cleaninggears \V are driventhrough the medium of the gears Y, which are rigidly attached to thedriving-shaft M. The hubs of these cleaning-gears W are hollow, and thegatheringspindles c pass loosely through them to be reciprocated backand forth theretln'ouglnthe spindles being connected with thespindleactuating gears S, carried by the reciprocating boxes a, situatedat points outside of the.

boxes I) and extending parallel therewith. The spindles are preferablyflexibly connected with their driving-gears S, as shown clearly in Figs.7 and S, through the medium of a doubled wire U, having its ends bentlaterally to engage notches formed in the outer ends of thedriving-gears, the said U- shaped connections passing through thedriving-gears and the wedge '1" forced therein to spread the connectionand make it tight within the gears, as will be readily understood.

The spindle-driving gears S are driven through the medium of the gearsR2, which have outwardly-extending collars or hubs secured or keyedwithin sprocket-wheels Q. These sprocket-wheels are thus iirmlyconnected with the driving-gears R2, and the sprocket-gears Q areprovided with grooves j to receive the yokes L' upon the lower ends ofthe swinging arms The driving-shaft M passes loosely through thedriving-gears R2, and the reciprocating boxes a are supported uponthisdriving-shaftand the transversely-extending shaft t. (Clearly shownin Fig. il.) The upper end of thc swingingarms g are connected by meansof a hinge or equivalent connection 71/ to the upper ends of thestandards A', and tllese swinging arms are moved back and forth in aline transverse the machine in a manner to be described farther on. Thesprocket Q is driven through the medium of a sprocket-chain P, passingaround a sprocket-wheel N upon the shaft I.

Attention is called at this point to the fact that the sprocket J, whichdrives the shaft M for driving the cleaning-gears 1V in a manner beforedescribed, is about twice the circumference of the sprocket N, so thatthe cleaning-gears XV are driven in the same direction as thegathering-spindles e, but about twice as rapidly.

The gathering-spindles c are formed with forwardly and outwardlyprojecting teeth f, and the teeth are formed upon the spindles inslightly spiral forni. The reciprocating spin dle-gear boxes d areoperated through the medium of a pitman p, which is actuated by means ofa crank formed upon the shaft u. The pitman p has its forward endsupported by a hinge arm or bracket q and is connected near its rear endto the swinging arms q through the medium of the link n. (Clearly shownin Fig. rlhese links extend forward, as clearly shown, so that as thepitman rcciprocatcs back and forth it causes the links to spread, whichdraws the swinging arms in and out', and the swinging arms carrying theyokos i upon their lower ends, engaging the groovej in the sprocket Q,it moves the boxes d back and forth uniformly, as will be readilyunderstood, for the purpose of thrusting the spindles through thecleaning-gears XV into the cotton-plants, while at the same time thespindles are revolving and gather the cotton, and then to withdraw themtherefrom.

Cleaning or retaining plates 25, as clearly shown in Fig. 10, aresituated just inside of the boxes l5, which carry the cleaning-spindles,and these cleaning or retaining plates are provided with a series ofopenings 2U corresponding to the number of spindles, and the spindles asthey are being thrust out and drawn in pass through these openings 2G.

The movement of the spindles inward into the cotton and gathering thecotton while they are revolving, and then as they are withdrawntherefrom they pass through the collars c, and the shoulders upon thesecollars cause a continuous cam motion upon the cotton, tending to forceit outward, the cam being about equal to the inclination of thegathering-teeth f. In addition to this the cleanin g-gears are revolvingabout twice as rapidly as the gatheriiig-spindles, and this causes therotation of the cotton upon the spindles faster than the rotation of thespindle which Carries it, and it is found that this motionveryeifectually releases the cotton from the teethf and forces itoutward, it being prevented from passing beyond the cleaning-plates 25and then dropped downward into the receptacles 10, situated at a pointdirectly below the space between the plates and the boxes l1. The cottonbeing removed from the spindles as they pass into the cleaning-collarsc, it drops down into the boxes, as will be readily understood, beingheld between the retaining-plates and the boxes and falls upon acarrier-belt 1S, from which it is transmitted to a carrier-bolt 12,situated in the inclined trough 11, and thence carried upward into thebags 14, placed to receive it. The carrier mechanism is driven throughthe medium of the shaft 13, extending transverse the forward portion ofthe machine, around which the belts 12 pass, as clearly shown in Fig. 2,and this shaft is driven through the medium of a chain 1G, passingaround a sprocket 17 upon the shaft T.

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f ttf-raie The chains p, which drive the gears Q, are held under propertension, should they become loose through the adjustment of the machine,by means of the arms m, carrying rollers r at their upper ends, whichengage the chains, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and G, the adjustment ofthese arms m being effected through the medium of a bolt Z, which passesthrough them and through a curved slot 7c in the swinging arms g, andthis same bolt serves to unite the outer ends of the links n to thisswinging arm g for effect-ing the inward and outward movement of theboxes a, before fully described.

The back-and-forth horizontal adjustment of the arms m serve to regulatethe throw of the boxes by moving the outer ends of the links n nearer toor farther from the inner pivoted ends,thus causing them to bestraightened more or less by the pitman p.

One of the important features of my invention is that the machineremains still while the gathering-spindles are being thrust into thecotton-plant, and then when withdrawn within the retaining-plates 25 themachine is automatically moved forward a short .distance before they areagain thrust into the cotton-plant. This movement is effected throughthe medium of the ratchet-wheels H', lirmly attached to thesupporting-wheels C. Pawls M' have their forward ends pivotallyconnected to crank-arms P'. connected firmly to a transversely-extendingshaft K. The opposite ends of these pawls M' are provided with dogs N',adapted to engage the ratchet-wheels H'. The shaft K is reciprocatedthrough the medium of a pitman J', having its forward end connected to acrankarm L' of the shaft K and its rear end connected with an eccentricl', carried upon the shaft Q'.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the eccentricity of theeccentric I corresponds or extends in the same direction as the crank30, which kactuates the pitman p. Owing to this corresponding directionof the crank 30 and the eccentric I they move in unison, as will bereadily understood, so that the pitmen J and p are moved forwardsimultaneously. The forward movement of the pitman p, as beforedescribed, causes the withdrawal of the gathering-spindles from thecotton-plant, and the forward thrust or movement of the pitman Jv causesa forward movement upon the pawls M', and thereby through the dogscarried upon the rear ends of the said levers effects a forward movementupon the ratchet-wheels after the gatherin g-spindles have beenwithdrawn from the cotton-plant, thus moving the machine forward a shortdistance ready to cause the thrust of the gathering-spindles into anungathered portion of the row. By having the machine quiet while thegathering operation is performed the bruising of the green cotton-podsis prevented, so that the forward movement of the machine is'noteffected until the gathering-spindles are withdrawn from the plant.

Another important feature of my invention is in causing thegathering-spindles a-fterbeing thrust within the plants to remain theresufiiciently long before being` withdrawn to ll themselves with thegathered cotton. This is effected through the providing of the rear endof the pitman p with a slot 35, so that the crank 30 after it has thrustthe gatheringspindles into the plants by its rearward movement, and inthe continuation of its rotation it movesforward in the slot 35 withoutany forward movement of the pitman p, as will be readily understood,thus leaving the gathering-spindles in the cotton-plants sufficientlylong to fill themselves with cotton before the crank 30 engages theforward end of the slot 35 to withdraw them therefrom. It will bereadily understood that such a mechanism as this is very effectual andimportant in cottonpickers. v

Extending transverse the machine and supported upon spring-arms H is ashaft 5 in rear of the standards A' and carrying at each endfriction-wheels G, normally resting over the peripheries of thesupporting-,wheels C. The shaft 5 is operated through the medium Vof achain or belt passing around the sprocket thereon and upon the shaft I,as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and the friction-wheels 6 are caused toengage the peripheries of the supportingwheels C by the downwardpressure of the arms 9, which extend rearward within reach of a personwalking behind the machine, or upon a seat situated in a convenientposition for the operation thereof, the driving-chain being sufficientlyslack to permit downward movement of the shaft 5. The function of thesedevices is to enable the steering of the machine while it is passingalong the row by the pressure of either one of the frictionwheels uponthe proper wheel to straighten the movement of the machine, but moreespecially for the purpose of driving the machine continuously and forturning it around at the end of the row.

The steering of the machine is also effected through the medium of alever G, intermediat-ely pivoted upon the forward end of a standard F ofthe machine, the extending end of this lever Gengaging a rod D,extending upward rigidly from the forward projection of the forwardtruck B, which truck carries the forward supporting and steering WheelsH. This forward truck is capable of being turned upon its central axis,and by the manipulation of the rear end of the rod G the direction ofthe machine is under the control of the operator, as will be readilyunderstood.

The gathering-spindles e are formed by flattening one end of thespindle, cutting in one edge of the flattened portion the serrations f,and then rolling it around, forming a tube of the gathering end, asclearly shown in Fig.

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S, the overlapping toothed edge extending beyond the surface of thehollow portion.

Frein the above description it will be seen that I have produced,through the combinations fully described and shown, a machine capable ofautomatically gathering cotton from one part of the row, withdrawing thegathering mechanism from the plants, and automatically moving to annngathered portion of the row to have the operation automaticallyrepeated. However, I do not limit myself to the automatic arrangement,for the movement of the machine might be etTected in other waysindependent of the gathering mechanism and at the proper time.

I here describe carrying-belts for the purpose of receiving' andelevating the gathered cotton into the bags; but it is only shown as onemeans of disposing ct the cotton, in that a suction or other mechanismmay be used for delivering the gathered cotton to any desired point uponthe machine without affecting in any manner my invention, which does notpertain to any particular conveying device.

The length of time the gathering-spindles remain in the cotton-plantscan be regula-ted by the lengthening or shortening of the slot 85 in thelever p through the medium of the adjustable bolt 36 or other mechanicalequivalen t.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is*- l. In a cotton-picker, the combinationwith a thrust picking mechanism adapted to enter the plants, of apropelling mechanism therefor and an intermittently-operated mechanismfor propelling the picker when the cottonpicking mechanism has beenwithdrawn from the plants.

2. In a cotton-picker, the combination of the supporting and drivingwheels carrying ratchet-wheels, a thrust picking mechanism and means fordriving the same, and a reciprocating device driven by the thrustmechanism to engage the ratchet of the wheels when the thrust mechanismhas withdrawn the picking devices from the cotton, the parts combined tooperate as described.

3. A picking mechanism, comprising a stationary frame carrying a seriesof rotating cleaning devices, a movable frame carrying a series ofrotating gathering devices passing through the cleaning devices, adriving-shaft extending through the trames, the drivingshaft carrying arigid pinion meshing with the rotating cleaning devices, and a gearsituated loosely upon the driving-shaft and carried by the movableframes, said gear meshing with and driving the gathering devices,substantially as described.

4. In a cotton-picker, the combination of a thrust gathering mechanism,an intermittent actuating mechanism for the vehicle, adriving mechanismcommon to the thrust m echanism and the vehicle-driving mechanism, andreciprocating devices actuated bythe driving mechanism, saidreciprocating mechanism operating alternately and connected respectivelywith the thrust and vehicle-driving mechanisms, the same adapted tooperate as described.

5. In a cotton-picker, the combination with a thrust gatheringmechanism, of a driving mechanism including a crank, and a pitman havingone end adapted to operate the thrust gathering mechanism, the oppositeend of the pitman provided with an elongated slot through which thecrank passes, for the purpose of permitting the thrust gatheringmechanism to remain in the cotton for a predetermined time regulated bythe length ot the slot, substantially as described.

G. In a cotton-picking machine, the combination ot' a thrust gatheringmechanism, a driving mechanism including a crank, a pitman actuating thethrust gathering mechanism, said pitman provided with an elongated slotreceiving the said crank, and an adjustable means projecting within thesaid pitmanslot whereby its length is adapted to be regulated for thepurpose ot' regulating the time the thrust mechanism shall remain in thecotton, substantially as described.

7. A cotton-pickin g mechanism comprising a stationary frame carrying aseries oi' rotating hollow cleaning devices, a movable frame carrying aseries ot rotating gears, a series ot spindles projecting through thehollow rotatin cleaning devices, the spindles being ilexibly connectedwith the gears on the movable frame, whereby binding of the spindles inthe rotating cleaning devices is prevented, substantially as described.

8. A combined gathering and cleaning device comprising a hollowrotatable cleaning device having cams constructed to engage and forcethe cotton outward, and a spindle projecting through the said hollowcleaning device and provided with a spiral serrated Iiange,substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof I athx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID RlUVL.

Vitnesses:

T. J. KUNAGHAN, D. O. HoLsroN.

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